


we'd fight and never lose

by pIatonic_Iove



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M, not explicitly romantic but can be read as such cus its free real estate, the other members get at least a line each
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:46:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pIatonic_Iove/pseuds/pIatonic_Iove
Summary: > “oh here’s some bad news, we’re going to become really good friends.”// a crack drabble where jisung switches place with himself from a time in the future. // title from the song 'those were the days' //
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 136





	we'd fight and never lose

His nose tingled, a tell-tale sign of another oncoming sneeze, but the moment was so tense right now as he looked into the mirror and saw seven pairs of determined looking eyes staring back from the reflection. He could not. He absolutely should not be sneezing right now. 

Vaguely he registers Bang Chan from somewhere to the left starting the countdown. He held his breath. Once he starts dancing, his body would be too preoccupied to think about sneezing, he assured himself, he just has to hold out for Bang Chan’s three counts. 

“3…” The older boy started. “2…-” 

“Achoo!” 

When Jisung opened his eyes, he realised immediately that something was wrong. To begin with, he felt oddly winded, a strange pulse of adrenaline lighting him on fire from the inside. Tired, yet satisfied. 

Conveniently, there was a mirror in front of him when he looked up, and the difference almost knocked him off his seat. Though he’d just seen himself in baggy pants and a sweatshirt earlier, now he was clad in something exotically patterned and form fitting, a liberal amount of makeup on his face. 

Was he on a show? But why would he be on a show? 

Before he could try to imagine a possible answer, a buzz against his thigh jolted him out of his head. A phone? His phone? The screen lit up when he pulled out the device, a new notification banner popping into view on the lockscreen. But instead of reading it, his attention was quickly taken by the small line underneath the big digits indicating the time. 

Saturday, XX Month, 20XX

But that was impossible. His last memory was almost 2 years ago, standing in position for one of their monthly group dance evaluations. He remembered Bang Chan counting down as he struggled not to sneeze, the choreography teacher up in front with his clipboard and steely gaze. Jisung didn’t understand, and what he didn’t understand, he feared, and when he fears, his entire body freezes up like a deer in headlights as his brain tries to think through the haze but, much like catching smoke, comes up with nothing. 

It must be a dream. This must be a dream. 

‘Pinch me, I’m dreaming.’ He thought to himself and in that very moment someone does exactly that. Grabbed a piece of skin around his forearm and twisted. 

“Yeow!” 

“Woah, there.” A laugh boomed from beside him. “Calm down, Sung, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

Chan hyung? Jisung squinted. Sure, the guy sitting next to him was also donning some flashy clothes, caked in just as much makeup as Jisung, his hair was even dyed an eye catching colour, but he had all the same features as the reliable hyung he knew and loved. 

“Chan hyung! Oh My God, I’m so relieved, I think I’ve come from the past and-” Before he got to finish his sentence, Chan was already guffawing hard, hands pressed against his stomach. 

“The past?” Chan choked. 

“Err… yes?” Jisung confirmed. 

It only seemed to make Chan laugh even harder, if that were possible. 

“What’s going on here?” Another voice cut in. 

Jisung turned to see more familiar faces that he hadn’t previously realised were also around. There were what appeared to be grown versions of Seungmin and Minho lounging on a couch, occupied with their phones. Jeongin was sitting cross-legged on the floor between them, silent and subdued in a way that must mean he was sleeping. The new voice belonged to a taller, more muscular Changbin, who’s movement indicated he’d just entered the room, Felix in tow a pace behind him. And in the corner, Jisung didn’t want to acknowledge, was Hyunjin looking darkly at him. 

“Han told our leader that he came from the past and now our leader is like that.” Seungmin drawled without looking up from his phone. 

Changbin let out a small snicker, turning to look at Jisung with an almost fond shake of his head. “That’s the concept you’re rolling with today?” 

Even Felix was smiling. “How do you come up with these things?” 

But Jisung opens and closes his mouth, the length of a two year time gap suddenly so visceral and wide. Gosh, he was mentally younger than their maknae at this current point in time. Their maknae has experienced more of life than he had, and his already loose footing crumbles beneath his feet. The people around him were familiar but uncannily different, they were all forged in the same fire, drank ambrosia together that Jisung was surely offered but cannot remember the taste of. A lone outsider looking in through the window. The emptiness was suffocating. 

His frazzled brain realised belatedly that he should say something to ease the tension. Play it off as a joke that the others have already concluded it to be, but he didn’t trust that his voice would sound like the correct Jisung, so he remained silent, feeling the seconds stretch painfully into awkward territory. 

Until a hand wrapped around his wrist. 

“Hannie, can I borrow you for a second.” And without waiting for a response, the person was already tugging them both away. 

It was Hyunjin. This time Jisung’s brain truly short circuited. His sworn enemy, Hwang Hyunjin, pulling him out of the room? Oh God, were they going to get into a fight? Weren’t any of the others going to intervene? It wasn’t fair, there was no way Jisung could win this one. Verbally, Hyunjin would have more ammunition, and physically, well Jisung wasn’t quite sure all his limbs felt like his own as he stumbled just to keep pace with the taller boy. And the unfairest thing of all, Jisung almost wanted to kick his feet at the bitterness of it, was that Hyunjin would never know why his victory was unwarranted. 

Unbeknownst to the turmoil in Jisung’s brain, Hyunjin rounded the corner into a fairly deserted hallway, leading them to a somewhat concealed pocket of space beside the building’s frosted glass windows. Then he stopped, turning on his heel to face the other. He bent his knees just a little, cupping Jisung’s face with his hands to look at him better. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

Nothing in the world could prepare Jisung for the tenderness of his voice or the genuine concern that etched a frown on his usually delicate brows. All Jisung could do was gulp and fumble about his words. 

“I… Er… See this is going to sound really crazy but,” he paused, half-expecting a snarky comment to the effect of ‘yeah, what’s new?’ but it never came. So Jisung bit his cheek and powered on. “I actually have reason to suspect that I’ve come from the past.”

Hyunjin looked somewhat incredulous. 

“Okay see, the last thing I remember is that we were gonna dance to this song, erm Don’t Let Me Down, and that was about 2 years ago, I don’t know if you might recall but we were getting ready for it in the practice room when I sneezed and now I’m here?” 

Jisung flailed his hands a little to punctuate his point. Hyunjin seemed to be seriously considering the other’s words. 

“I do remember that dance practice, actually, you were complete garbage.” 

“Don’t pick a fight with me right now, Hwang, I am stressed beyond all imagining.” 

Hyunjin blinked. “Oh, right, we were not on good terms then.” 

“Implying we are on good terms now?” 

Rather unfortunately, the amusement that Jisung sensed off the other answers his question loud and clear. 

“This can’t be happening.” Jisung exclaimed a smidgen rudely. “How in the world do I ever learn to put up with you? Damn, tell me I won some Nobel Peace Prize for that.” 

Instead Hyunjin just laughed. “Okay, you dramatic squirrel, if anything, it was my never ending patience and honourable willingness to forgive.” 

Jisung rolled his eyes as hard as he physically could. “Hardy to the ha ha.” 

But before he could shoot back his next incredibly witty comeback, a voice came bouncing through the hallway, accompanied by footsteps of increasing volume. “Hey lovebirds!” Minho called, his deadpan tone blurring the line between joke and truth. Nonetheless, Jisung stiffened. 

Hyunjin sensed his unease, moving quickly to cover Jisung’s body from the older’s view, pulling their bodies flush in the process. The first thing Jisung notices is the warmth of their contact, how Hyunjin smells of the slight salt of sweat prickled with cologne that’s a little heavy, musky, grounded. The other thing he notices is the absolute dustiness of the windowpane behind him. 

Right then, Minho poked his head around the corner. “This is sweet and all but we’re leaving in five so get in the car soon, would ya?” 

“Sure, hyung.” Hyunjin replied without turning back. 

Minho huffed. “Oh to be young and in love.” He stage-whispered in monotone even as he retreated. 

Jisung didn’t realise he'd been holding his breath the entire exchange but when he exhaled, the plea immediately tumbled along out of his lips. “Please tell me he’s joking.” 

Hyunjin didn’t reply at once. Instead Jisung saw sympathy and fierce consideration on the other’s face. He tried to recall Hyunjin’s face then, not the Hyunjin before him but the one he had been standing next to less than half an hour ago. Sure, he sort of knew Hyunjin was an open book, emotions bleeding through skin and worn on sleeves but, upon consideration, he doesn’t think he’d ever looked at the other’s face long enough to understand anything other than the deep cut of anger on the boy. And what was Jisung always so angry at Hyunjin about anyway? He was suddenly incredibly embarrassed about it. 

“Maybe instead of timeslipping, I’ve simply died and gone to purgatory.” 

He wasn’t even affronted when Hyunjin let out a small chuckle. 

“Hey now, we don’t even know if this is going to be a long term thing.” Hyunjin tried to reason, patting Jisung on the head reassuringly. “And even if it turns out to be quite a pickle, I’ll be here to help you, okay?” 

“You really will?” Jisung couldn’t describe his feelings if he tried. Incredulous, distrusting, relieved, cynical. The only truth to the world was Hyunjin holding his hand, squeezing. 

“Listen, it doesn’t matter what Minho hyung said or that we’re technically still not friends in your time period but though you might not know this, over the years, your charm and wit really grow on me, and you’re special enough to me that I will definitely help you as much as I can.” 

Jisung nearly swooned. ‘Is this what romance drama leads feel like?’ He questioned, feeling the blood pulsing loudly in his ears. ‘Oh God was this a moment?’ And like deja vu, he felt the exact same sentiment from not too long ago. This was a moment, and once again he was about to sneeze. 

\-- 

“Achoo!” 

When Jisung opened his eyes, he realised immediately that something was wrong. To begin with, he felt oddly light, but his nerves were set and poised for something. Focused, with an undercurrent of being on edge. Relaxed, yet restless. 

Conveniently, there was a mirror in front of him when he looked up, and he recognises the scene though the details look fuzzy in his head, like a kindergartener’s clumsy drawing. 

This was from a routine evaluation from back before they debuted. He doesn’t remember the song’s title but it was definitely an American artiste. But why was he here? Quickly, he chanced a brief look at his surroundings, only to lock eyes with Hyunjin standing beside him. 

Hyunjin certainly looked younger here but he was wearing the most displeased scowl, eyes as sharp as an eagle watching its prey, that Jisung involuntarily gulped anyway. Then he heard Bang Chan counting off from the side. 

Oh shoot, he was supposed to dance. And he couldn’t remember any of the choreography. 

“One!” Chan called, and the beat kicked in on cue. 

Fueled by raw adrenaline and muscle memory, Jisung felt his body moving to the music. He registered almost nothing in his head other than the otherworldly sense of awe as the limbs that he suddenly can’t quite feel move seemingly on their own. 

All of that shattered when he was mid-way through a twirl and catches Hyunjin’s critical eyes upon him. In an instant, he was once again in possession of his body and the sudden weight of it stopped him entirely. The choreography teacher wasted no time in calling for a stop. 

Hyunjin was at his throat right away. “What the actual fuck is your problem, huh? Are you even trying? Or are you trying to fail? I swear, goldfish have better memory than you!” 

Despite the situation, Jisung thought of his reputation 2 years down the line and couldn’t help the soundbyte of ‘honey, you’ve got a big storm coming’ from playing in his head. He made sure not to voice that though, since he did just royally screw up the group’s choreography, intentionally or not. 

The others seem similarly frustrated at the situation, even if they don’t attack him as fiercely as Hyunjin had. In fact, Jeongin tried a placating, “are you feeling okay, hyung?” at Jisung. 

“Fuck cares if he’s okay?” Hyunjin howled and Jisung noted the tinge of alarm in his voice. When he got a good look at that younger’s face, he saw the shadow of doubt and desperation. With hindsight, that was painfully reasonable. As a trainee, everyday was hardwork and uncertainty, the time between each evaluation dismayingly long with no goal line in sight, yet despairingly short for trying to improve by leaps and bounds just for a chance to glimpse the next opportunity. 

So Jisung swallowed. 

“Sorry guys, actually, I haven’t been well since this morning.” He willed down the energy in his body to sell it better. 

The room was understandably confused. 

“Wasn’t he just fine at breakfast?” 

“Oh but he has been sneezing for awhile.” 

In the end, it had to be the instructor stepping in with a frustrated rubbing of his temples. “Look, I don’t have time for this. We’ll reschedule you lot for next week. Jisung, go see a doctor. The rest of you are on self practice for the day.” He exits the room with a click of the tongue before leaning back just as he got to the door. “Oh, and one of you, err, Bang, you better go with him in case.” 

Jisung shot up his hand. “Can Hyunjin come with me instead?” 

Puzzled eyes darted around the room, someone (most likely Changbin) even unsubtly whispered a, “wow, I guess he’s really sick.” 

The instructor shrugged as if to say, ‘suit yourself’. But Chan was definitely about to protest, Jisung could see it from the hard set of his jaw. So he grabbed Hyunjin’s hand and rushed out of the room as quickly as he could. 

“I promise we won’t fight, hyung!” Funny how the guy was still technically older than him, still bearing so many responsibilities, he felt a twinge of sympathy. But still he was racing down the hallway before he could even hear his hyung’s response. 

When they round the bend, Hyunjin seems to regain his senses, planting his feet firmly on the ground so that they both end up grinding to a halt. 

“Seriously, Han, what’s wrong with you?” Hyunjin bit out, yanking back his hand. 

Jisung stalled by making a big show of cracking his neck. “Okay, this might sound a little crazy but-” 

“Yeah?” Hyunjin scoffed, “what’s new?” 

“-anyways, I’m quite sure I’ve actually come from the future. About two years, to be precise.” 

To his credit, Hyunjin seemed to give it at least a few thoughts before rolling his eyes. “This is another one of your dumb pranks again, isn’t it?” 

Frankly, Jisung was quite entertained by his own shift in perspective. Of course Hyunjin wouldn’t believe him, it was hard enough to believe as it were but coming from a sworn enemy? Unimaginable. Hyunjin’s usually pretty face coloured over in distrust. And for some reason Jisung notices the heavy eye bags too. 

“I swear I’m telling the truth. Do I look like someone who tells fibs?” 

Hyunjin took a breath. 

“Don’t answer that.” 

Hyunjin visibly shifted course. “Well, then prove it or something.” 

This time, it was Jisung who found himself opening and closing his mouth, like a fish, he idly realised, he’d been compared to a fish an awful lot today. “That’s gonna be a problem…” He almost drawled, “see, as you’ve noticed my memory’s kinda bad so I can’t think of any small, convincing detail. I have some good news I can recall but I figure you’d want to experience that firsthand, ya know?” 

Hyunjin crossed his arms with a frown. “So tell me some bad news then, I don’t know?” 

Jisung took in the sight of the sulky boy, and an idea struck him like a bolt out of the blue. 

“Oh here’s some bad news, we’re going to become really good friends.” 

Predictably, Hyunjin fake gagged. “Oh that is just the worst news.” 

Further emboldened by the other’s dismay, Jisung crooned. “Yup, yup, you absolutely come to love my impressive charm and wit, and though I might not get any more handsome, or much taller, I certainly grow in c h a r a c t e r~” 

“I would rather eat bricks and die of possible lead poisoning.” 

Jisung couldn’t help a giggle. Seemed like the guy’s flair for the dramatics was a seed that would one day blossom into a flower, loud and bold. Then he felt guilt gnaw ever so softly at his mirth. They might work it out down the line but he’d always felt that there were some things he wished he never said to Hyunjin, some things he wished he said instead. 

“And I come to appreciate you too. I love your talent but I love your drive and dedication even more. Oh and your kindness, I wouldn’t notice until later but I’m really thankful for it.” Hyunjin had his jaw ready to touch the floor. “Just thought I wanted to tell you that.” Jisung waved. 

“Oh, erm, thanks I guess? But I think you’ve really come down with something nasty.” 

Jisung could taste the million different retorts he could use but he doesn’t know how long he had to stay in this time, and something protective bubbled in his heart. Getting to return to a memory the way he had, seeing not just Hyunjin but everyone else again, back in a different time where they had different worries. And only he knew how much there was to gain and lose. That not all gains would be happy, and not all losses sad, to learn the bittersweet song of life. 

“I mean it, Hyunjin.” Hyunjin squirmed slightly. “As someone I know always says, hold onto your hope, and it holds on for you. You’ll do fine, I believe in you.” 

He offered the boy a toothy grin. Hyunjin appeared shell-shocked, fumbling about for something to say back, when Jisung felt his nose tingle. ‘Dang, maybe past me really caught something.’ Was all he could think as he, for the first time that day, let the sneeze take him willingly. 

\--

“Achoo!” 

Jisung was once again disoriented from opening his eyes to a completely foreign scenario but this time he easily surmised that he’s back in his original timeline from the way Hyunjin looked older in front of him. 

A ghost of a memory flickered in his brain, remembering a time two years past when he was being led to this specific moment but he couldn’t quite recall the specific intricacies of it. All he knew was Hyunjin holding his hand with a quizzical look. 

“Erm… I’m back?” Jisung cocked his head to the side. “Tadah!” 

“Weird flex but welcome back.” 

And Jisung laughed into the embrace, hugging back just as tightly himself. 

“Aww did you miss me?” Jisung teased. 

“For longer than you know.” Was Hyunjin’s reply. 

Somehow, Jisung thinks he understood. 

“But it is as I always say, isn’t it?” Hyunjin whispered, soft enough to be a secret from even the air around them, “hold onto your hope, and it holds on for you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> minho yelling from downstairs: did i or did i not say 5 minutes?!
> 
> \--
> 
> i hope this was enjoyable for /someone/ cus it honestly was the kind of idea that just latched onto me out of nowhere and wouldn't let go until i finished so tbh idk if it's well fleshed out T T  
> in other news i recently created a twt for skz and i'm really quiet but mayhaps spare interactions  
> @bme_mp4


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